Here's the way it topped out: On Victory Sunday, by the end of service, 39 had obeyed the Gospel.  Immediately after services, another responded.  Tina had obeyed about six days ago; she then ran to her husband and brought him to the building.  Our soldiers sat him down and just before the sermon, we saw his death into Christ's occur.  On Friday night, just before the evening meal, Tina brought her mother, Mary Myer, to the building.  She experienced the ideal teaching situation, one on one, and she obeyed.  And Mary, frankly, was thinking she would have to attend her husband's church, since he was so attached and the husband of the family. But on Victory Sunday, there he was with Mary and the whole family!  After Sunday lunch at the building, we sat down with him and he obeyed!  God's power is staggaring to watch!  He exercises it when we open our mouths and release the power of God unto Salvation!

In Smithville, we knocked every door in the small town, saved just maybe 20.  We found at one out of every two doors, someone was at home.  We presented the Gospel to one out of four of those.  And of those, we saw one out of every TWO studies obey the Gospel.  And yet we hear, "Door knocking doesn't work!" 

"Open my eyes that I may see!"

In the mix wives we met at their homes or even at work, and who obeyed the Gospel, brought their husbands to us at the building.  Those the church had been praying for, for weeks and months and years, we confronted them and they obeyed.  We found one gentleman just passing through town, who stopped to sit on the church yard and pray.  He was looking for the Lord.  And he left to go back to Houston a Christian.  One young lady came from Seguin, Texas, just to witness her friend "be baptized."  Before she left the building, one of our Cadre had her in a side room, explaining the whys, teaching her the Gospel of Christ, and she too left a Christian.  The custodians became Christians. A wife of a faithful brother there, one who thought she was a Christian for years, sat and heard the Gospel night after night, repeated over and over and over again.  And it connected!  In tears, then, she said, "I haven't obeyed the Gospel!  I was baptized years ago in (another church), but I need to 'obey the Gospel!'"  Brethren told us they learned to overcome their fears and to confront their friends!  And where actually did all these people come from in a small town where everybody knows everybody?  They came from around the building!  They were people (friends and acquaintances) looking for the Lord, lost in sin, controlled by Satan, wanting a way out, ... but who just had not been approached.  And faithful disciples learned a way that works, got excited, jumped in, stretched their comfort zones, and God rewarded them!  They found, as we all did, that Christianity is not a monument!  It's a MOVEMENT! 

WHY are our congregations not growing here in our own beloved USA?  WHY are so many of them even closing their doors and selling their buildings?  It CANNOT be because those neighbors around those buildings are not interested!!  It must be that:

1. We are lukewarm or even cold, or2. We don't know HOW to confront them, or3. We have forgotten the REAL Gospel of Christ, or4. We don't really care, or5. We want to stay small, or6. We don't really love the Lord enough to give Him what He wants, what Jesus came to save, and that's people, or7. We are controlled by issues, or8. We are controlled by a controlling personality, or personalities who are CAVE dwellers (Christians Against Virtually Everything), or9. Some or all of the above. 

We say, "Repent, Church!  Get POSITIVE!!  Fall in love with the Lord again.  Fall in love with talking the Gospel again.  People want to know!  And you, the Church, DO want to serve faithfully our living God!Marco and Bill Oden (WCM AfterCare Coordinator) are already in Monclovia, beginning our campaign there today.  I'm late and am on my way there now. 

I don't know if we will be able to report the Monclovia campaign on this site since we don't have it on the list.  Keep checking back, for we'll be trying!

But in Monclovia, Jose Luis Estrada, preacher there, is expecting dozens to obey.  We'll be preaching outside over loud speakers.  His congregation was 75 members two years ago.  Now he's bouncing off 200 each Sunday.  Pray for us!

We praise God for all these new souls!  We love you Church!!!!!